Chapter 7
Richard arrived at Longbourn on the morning of the nine and twentieth of November, a Tuesday.
He was welcomed warmly by all, especially James, Tom, and Alex who were interested in all things soldier.
After he changed out of his regimentals, they were not as happy to see him.
It was not like he had tales of battles to report, as he was still training men who would be sent forward in some future conflict.
As Franklin Lucas had kept away from Elizabeth, it was decided not to say anything to Richard unless he asked, as his family was very aware that he would not take kindly to the man’s attention to his youngest sister.
They did not want Richard doing something that he would regret later if he gave into his anger over a perceived breach that no one would consider as such, unless forewarned.
What no one realised or could have guessed was that the only reason they had not seen the Lucas heir was that he was hidden in the woods near Longbourn waiting for his chance to take what he was owed.
His anger had grown in proportion with his frustration as his ‘intended’ had only been seen in public venues with persons surrounding her at all times.
After another day of fruitless watching, he decided it was time to cause some trouble.
It may not get him nearer to the object of his desire, but it would make him feel a little better.
That evening he took himself to the bar at the Royal Crown Inn.
He bought a round of drinks for some of the men who he knew could be counted on to spread gossip prolifically.
He did not take into consideration that the rumours would be easily traced back to him as he was too bent on causing pain to think logically.
“You know that Lady Elizabeth, the supposed cousin of the Bennets,” he hedged conspiratorially.
“What do you mean ‘supposed cousin’?” a man whose wife was the biggest gossip in Meryton challenged.
Franklin leaned in, indicating that the men should huddle in a pretence of not wanting to speak too loudly.
“I heard that she is the long-lost Bennet daughter, but those toffs refuse to return her to her rightful father!” He did not lower the volume of his voice so was heard by a good number of the patrons, among them Frank Phillips, who was sharing a drink with a good friend of his.
Frank excused himself, went home, and had his horse saddled, heading for Longbourn with all speed.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Just before they were to sit down for the midday meal, Nichols notified the master that a number of carriages had been seen in the drive. The contingent from Scarborough had arrived in time to pay their respects to the late Oscar Bingley.
Before anyone was assigned chambers, Martha and her two children found themselves being enfolded in a supportive hug after supportive hug, as all family members on both sides had arrived.
Martha, who had been strong for days since her husband passed, sobbed in her mother’s arms while her siblings encircled them with love.
It did not take Charles long to see that there were too many for Netherfield to accommodate, so he excused himself and wrote a note to his neighbour to ascertain whether Bennington Fields was still available.
The groom returned with an affirmative answer, and not long after the Bennets, Darcys, and Fitzwilliam joined the large party at Netherfield.
Once it was decided who would stay where, William and John guided out the three families that would reside at Bennington Fields for the next sennight. Charles Bingley was most appreciative of the assist from Mr Bennet, as it would have been uncomfortably crowded at Netherfield without it.
When the families who would be hosted at the Fields arrived, they were met by Mrs Tess Kennedy, the housekeeper who had received notice from her master to expect the group.
Chambers were assigned upon surveying the families, and once everyone had washed and changed, the two Bennet sons accompanied them back to Netherfield.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
A group had just returned to Longbourn from their visit to assist the Bingleys and found an irate Frank Phillips waiting for their return.
He requested to immediately speak to his brother Bennet with the added suggestion that the Fitzwilliam, Darcy men, and his Grace, who had arrived that morning with his mother, be included in their discussion.
The door had barely closed before Phillips stated the reason for his request. “When I was at the Royal Crown with Peter Cromwell, I had the displeasure of hearing that no good Lucas trying to cause trouble for us,” Phillips spat out in disgust.
“What was he saying?” Andrew drew up to his full height, keeping himself in check until the facts were shared. As Phillips recounted what he heard, the anger built among the men in the room.
“Why would he do such a thing?” Richard demanded.
“I think that I may have an idea,” Perry volunteered. “He imagined himself a viable suitor for Jane while she did not—even before we declared for one another. At her coming-out ball, he claimed that everything was settled, and that he had no hard feelings, but it seems he may have prevaricated.”
“We did not want to mention this to you, Richard,” Andrew said carefully, “but the first time that this man saw Lizzy at Netherfield, his attention was too marked to be appropriate. We did not think it was an issue any longer as we spoke to his father and asked him to warn his son off. Until today, we had seen neither hide nor a hair of him.”
“Now do you think that it is an issue?” Richard asked acerbically. “Where does the Lucas family live?”
“On our Western border,” Bennet informed him. Before anyone could say a word, Richard wheeled and marched out of the study, calling for his horse, and the rest of the men followed closely behind him.
“Richard!” Andrew tried to gain his brother’s attention, aware of his own anger, and knew his brother had a blind rage building.
Richard took the role of the protector for all of his sisters most seriously and when he turned to look at Andrew, his face was stone-cold.
“Brother, if you end up in gaol or worse, you will be of no help to Lizzy, and, you know that she will blame herself.” Andrew played the only trump card he knew would bring his younger brother out of his rage.
“I will restrain myself enough to avoid running afoul of the law,” Richard agreed, forcing himself to regulate with a control that awed even those that had never seen it.
In less than fifteen minutes the riders arrived at Lucas Lodge and were met by a proud Sir William, who felt the compliment of so many high-born men visiting his humble abode.
He was introduced to the new arrival, a lieutenant-colonel and brother to the Earl, who looked resolute and unhappy.
“Lucas, where is your son?” Bennet asked sharply, ignoring his friend’s invitation to enter the house.
“He is away from home…oh, here he comes now,” Sir William pointed, and all the men turned to see Franklin Lucas ride up to the group looking very smug.
He dismounted and strutted toward them, and before he could open his mouth, a man he had not yet met planted his fist into his face, wiping the smug look off in an instant. Both the Lucas heir and two of his teeth were lying on the ground.
“I do not care who you are, but how dare you come to my house and accost my son in such a fashion!” Sir William bellowed. It was exceedingly rare to see him angry, but he had never before seen such violence, and without a cause.
“Although I may have tried a different way, your son deserved that and more, Lucas,” Bennet told the spluttering man.
“Why do you say that, Bennet?” the still irate man demanded, his anger only increasing as no reason he could ascertain was cause enough for that.
“I was at the Royal Crown earlier,” Phillips stepped forward, “and your heir was starting a rumour about my niece being Bennet’s daughter and that the ‘toffs’, as he called the Fitzwilliams, were refusing to return his Elizabeth to him.”
Sir William deflated. He had known Frank Phillips for many years, and one thing he had never known his friend to do was to lie. “I should have taken what you told me more seriously. I spoke to him, but I did not check his behaviour. I suppose I did not want to believe that my son would behave so.”
As he spoke, Franklin came around. He stood unsteadily and tried to wipe the blood from his mouth and chin, then he felt that his two front teeth were gone. “Bloody hell, what was that for?” he whined.
“Were you at the Royal Crown drinking earlier, Franklin?” his father demanded.
“I may have passed through the inn on my way home, father. Why?” He hedged, certain there was no way that the rumours he planted would have reached the ears of these men as yet, so he decided that dishonesty was the best way out of this; although that meant he still didn’t know why he had been attacked and his father was not reprimanding his attacker rather than asking him questions.
“Have you mentioned Lady Elizabeth’s true relationship with the Bennet’s to anyone?” was his father’s next question. Franklin started to worry, but he was sure there was no way that it could be traced back to him.
“No, I have not,” he replied confidently, knowing that he was safe because someone else must have said it first and that left him fully in the clear.
“When did you learn to lie so easily, Franklin?” asked his disappointed father.
“Father, I am not…” He managed no more because Mr Phillips stepped forward.
“I was in the bar, and I heard every word that you said!” Phillips stated clearly.
“Where are my manners,” Andrew said sarcastically, “let me introduce our pugilist to you. This is my brother; the Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, who, like the rest of us, will do anything to protect Lady Elizabeth.”